INTRODUCTION - 5

As North Central flew into the mid-sixties, it was time for the carrier to join in on the jet age. The airline ordered its first five Douglas DC-9-31s in July of 1965 with an option for five more. These 100 passenger turbojets would be the first new aircraft the airline would acquire with deliveries starting in 1967, the same year North Central would make another major decision about its fleet......

....the Convairs would be converted from piston power to turboprop power. This upgrade to the Allison powered Convair 580 would keep these highly successful aircraft in the inventory for the rest of the airline's history....and beyond.

The speed and reliability of the 580 version of the Convair would increase revenue and lower the cost to operate these aircraft and make them attractive for North Central's thinner routes. This would allow the DC-9 to enhance and expand the network to longer distance destinations.